I’ve read a great many Dean Koontz novels over the years, but most of them were
thrillers that contained elements of the supernatural or horror. Then I was
introduced to the Jane Hawk series with The Crooked Staircase. Even though it was the
third novel in the series, I found I could follow the story without having read
the others (though I eventually plan to do so) and I was hooked. That’s why
when the opportunity came to read the next novel in the series, The Forbidden Door, I jumped on the chance.

For those who
don’t know the Jane Hawk series, Jane Hawk was a top FBI agent, until the night
that her husband Nick committed suicide. Never seeing any signs that he might
do so, Jane investigates his death and discovers it was murder – that someone
had taken over Nick’s mind and made him kill himself. And he is not the only
one. Apparently, an organization called the Arcadians, has found a way to use
nanobots to create a neural net over individuals’
brains and control their
actions. The Arcadians are bent on ruling the world and Jane has become the
nation’s most wanted fugitive, doing everything she can to stop them.

When we last
checked in with Jane, she had taken down a top-ranking Arcadian, but barely
escaped with her life. Now she has learned that the people she entrusted with
the care of her son, Travis, may very well be dead. Travis is safe for now,
hiding in a library/bunker with an eccentric,
autistic billionaire and the two
German Shepherds belonging to his former protectors. But the Arcadians are
circling and Jane knows it’s only a matter of time before they find him. Can
she gather enough resources together to safely extract her son from his hiding
place before the Arcadians can get a hold of him?

Just as with
the first Jane Hawk book I read, I was totally absorbed by the edge of your seat
thriller of The Forbidden Door. The various characters that Jane
surrounds herself with to get the job done are rather interesting - each with
their own eccentricities and quirks, but totally loyal in every way. Though
some of her allies aren’t exactly on the right side of the law, each has an
interesting code of honor they adhere to. On the flip side are the fanatical
Arcadians, who will do anything they can to capture their prey and reshape
America into the country they want to control. But if you look at each
individual Arcadian, they all have some sort of dysfunction in their
history –
one lived under the threat of incest and
bullying, another turned to
nihilism to
survive in a world he doesn’t understand, another lived in a prostitute’s den as
a child – not a single Arcadian we meet along the way doesn’t have some sort of
sick, sadistic side to them and some past they are trying to run away from.

The action
and intensity of Jane and Travis Hawk’s situation is riveting enough, but in
this tale, Dean Koontz decides to give us just a little bit more. He decides
that its time for the Arcadians to come after Nick Hawk’s parents, who aren’t
playing the game and still support their daughter-in-law. Thus, an equally
mysterious and thrilling side story develops in which the Arcadians attempt to
chase down Jane’s rather crafty in-laws. Another additional thriller aspect:
for some reason, one of the individuals injected with the nanobot control device
in an effort to find Travis has gone off the deep end, becoming an out of
control monstrous killer. Worse yet, the hive mind of the controlled is
transferring what happened to him to the rest of the folks they recently
injected. An interesting spin to the plot!

Dean Koontz
has always had a way of creating characters we can relate to and root for, but
one-shots are easy. When you create a series, you have to make sure the reader
is captivated and doesn’t get tired of the trials and tribulations of the main
character. Trust me, there was no getting bored with Jane Hawk in this series.
I was utterly mesmerized by The Forbidden Door, loathe to put it down for
mundane things like sleep and work. I even kept reading through meals, rooting
for Jane and her allies against the Arcadians, but finding the Arcadians just as
fascinating as the good guys. Dean Koontz is one hellluva writer – this, I
already knew – but his Jane Hawk series is like nothing I have ever read from
him before. It makes me want to go back and read the Jane Hawk novels I missed
and it definitely makes me want to get my hands on the next book in the series,
The Night Window. This series is a must read for any fans of Dean
Koontz’ writing!